#1 - 1X1 Frame Weight
#2 - Bars
#3 - Single-Speed Drivetrains
#4 - Why Seatposts Slip
#5 - Bottom Bracket Sizing
#6 - Why Wool?
#7 - Caliper Brake Reach Defined
#8 - Spoke Calculation
#9 - Care and Feeding of Your Steel Frame
#10 - Large marge, Mounting Your Tires
#11 - Single-Speed Gearing 101
#12 - Karate Monkey and Front Derailleurs
#13 - Surly Rack Technical Stuff
#14 - Pugsley
#15 - Chainrings
#16 - Fixxer
#17 - Bike Fit
#18 - The Environment
#19 - Big Dummy
#20 - Kickstands On Long Haul Truckers
This isn't breaking news but last week one of the great ones passed. I saw Alex Chilton play solo a few times in the 80's. There was nothing about him that said "pop star" but man was he fun to watch. In college I must have played Big Star's #1 Record about a thousand times. Take it easy, Alex.
This is Yokoi-san.
He owns a shop in Nagoya, Japan and is one of the hardest working people I know. Click on this link to his website if you like, but be warned that it is in Japanese and the text might show up as mojibake. You can still look at pretty pictures though. Yokoi-san is a loyal Surly fan and dealer, and always comes to Interbike and Frostbike, just because...
As I was cleaning out my stuff the other day I found a memory card that Yokoi-san left me when he was here for Frostbike last month. It was filled with photos he had taken on his trip. I promptly uploaded them to the Surly Flickr, so if you want to see a bunch of pictures he took, including ones taken on our Pugsley ride at the MN river bottoms, please click here now.
Toodles
Did you know we now have tall wool socks? These things will make you feel happier than a mule eating an apple when the weather is cold or, like it is around here currently, pretty chilly. Made for us by DeFeet, they overlap nicely with over the knee height riding tights (known in America Inc. as Knickers, which is the word for ladies' undergarments in most portions of
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Surly pal Steven V, who does some design work for Surly (he annually suffers through the ADD of my last minute scheduling to get our print catalog spiffed up and ready for you), had his Cross Check stolen right outside his office one night last fall and has never quite gotten over it. Who can blame him? People who steal bikes suck. We all know it. They're petty bastards and deserve worse than they get most of the time. Steven sends this plea. If you live in
Hey everybody,
Just a reminder to keep your eyes open for my Croscheck as the weather is getting warmer. The officer seemed to think that it would be close to QBP. Here is a description.
Metallic green 58cm Surly Cross-Check, white decals. Axiom Rack with front and rear Planet bike fenders, It has a Stella light on it (just the light I had the battery) Incredibell, Salsa Stem, Deore hubs, WTB seat. The rear fender stays were broken the back fenders rattled around, I had a Knog Frog Bullfrog seatpost rear light, Silver Profile bottle cage, A Cateye computer.
Thank you very much,
Steve
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Finally today::::::
Random snapshots from Surly Intergalactic HQ's offices:
Greetings Friends,
It's time for a new installment of Skip's Tips - a handy guide to bicycles, string theory, and the art of child rearing. Today we're going to talk about racing on your bicycle. I've compiled a few of my sage words of wisdom regarding the passtime of riding bikes real fast in order to gauge self-worth and fitness. They are in no particular order - except that they're in order of importance. Here they are:
1. It's nearly Spring here in the MiddleWestoftheUSA. The snow has largely melted into largely dangerously swollen rivers. Whenever possible, when out on your "training rides" stop and look at the rivers. Comment on how swollen they are. Chuckle to yourself and your riding partners that you just said "swollen" and move on down the road/trail/sidewalk/mall food court.
2. Remember, when "binge drinking" (or as I call it, "drinking") you should probably drink the same kind of liquor or beer all day or night or both. This keeps the hangover cures simpler and takes the guesswork out of what is making you "feel so bad."
3. Training is the act of riding your bike to increase your fitness. While I do not in any way condone getting any fitter than you are right now - you're perfect you beautiful pasty flabby wintery thing! - there are a few things that can help should you choose to ignore that first bit. Ride a heavy bike. No, I don't mean ride a Surly instead of your carpet fibre TDF rocket machine - I mean load your bike up with a bunch of shit. Whenever possible, add a WALD gigantic front basket and fill it with rocks and garbage. If you have the means pull a Burley trailer with your 39lb pre-schooler. Barring that, fill your shirt with cans of paint. Also you might:
4. Eating is important. I start each day with a bacon grease raw egg smoothie. It has bacon grease in it for quickness and a couple of raw eggs for rockiness. Remember, doubling over with the pukes is great for the abs.
5. I've said this many times and each time I do it sounds truer: I don't race because racism is wrong.
Remember kids, riding bikes is fun. No one ever anywhere has ever had any fun while racing their bike. They may say they had fun (or in bicycle parlance "podiumed") but they are lying their asses off. Racing hurts and you know it. Pain isn't fun for anyone but Army Rangers and people who wear cheese grater underwear. Slow it down and have a fun ride where you stop once in a while for a conversation or to knock back a cold one while looking out over fabulous vistas (or snaggly burnt-out slums). Enjoy yourself a little and stop trying to think you have to win all the time. Life is hard enough.
Thanks,
Skip
